''Such a Rascal'' (German: ''So ein Flegel'') is a 1934 German

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

and starring

Heinz Rühmann Heinrich Wilhelm "Heinz" Rühmann (; 7 March 1902 – 3 October 1994) was a German film actor who appeared in over 100 films between 1926 and 1993. He is one of the most famous and popular German actors of the 20th century, and is considered a Ge ...

, Ellen Frank and

Annemarie Sörensen Annemarie Sörensen (19 December 1913 – December 1993) was a German singer and film actress. She played the female lead in the 1934 comedy '' Heinz in the Moon''.Goble, p. 15 She was a Protestant, but due to what was described as her uncertain ...

. It was shot at the

EFA Studios The EFA Studios or Halensee Studios were film studios located in the Berlin suburb of Halensee. They were a prominent centre of film production in the Silent film, silent and early sound era. Constructed in 1919 after the First World War, they wer ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Karl Böhm Karl August Leopold Böhm (28 August 1894 – 14 August 1981) was an Austrian conductor. He was best known for his performances of the music of Mozart, Wagner, and Richard Strauss. Life and career Education Karl Böhm was born in Graz. T ...

and

Erich Czerwonski Erich Czerwonski (1889–1940) was a German art director.Kreimeier p.73 He designed the sets for around a hundred productions during his career. He died in 1940 after being struck by a train during a blackout. Filmography * '' The Black Panther ...

. Based on the novel ''

Die Feuerzangenbowle ''Die Feuerzangenbowle'' (''The Fire Tongs Bowl'', ''The Punch Bowl'') is a German novel, later adapted into several films, which tells the story of a famous writer going undercover as a pupil at a small town gymnasium after his friends tell him ...

'' by

Heinrich Spoerl Heinrich Christian Johann Spoerl (; 1887–1955) was a German author. Biography Spoerl was born on 8 February 1887 in Düsseldorf, where he also grew up. He studied jurisprudence in Marburg, Berlin and Munich and was a solicitor in Düsseldorf fr ...

, Rühmann starred in the double role of the brothers Pfeiffer in this lesser known movie a decade before playing Hans Pfeiffer in the more popular 1944 version.Goble p.437

Synopsis

It modifies the story of the novel by introducing the concept of two brothers Pfeiffer switching places: While the younger brother takes over his elder brother's job, the older brother attends the younger one's school.

Cast

as Dr. Hans Pfeiffer/Erich Pfeiffer * Ellen Frank as Marion Eisenhut *Inge Conradi as Ilse Bundschuh *

as Eva Knauer *

Jakob Tiedtke Jakob Karl Heinrich Wilhelm Tiedtke (23 June 1875 – 30 June 1960) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 190 films between 1914 and 1955. Selected filmography * ''The Pied Piper of Hamelin (1918 film), The Pied Piper of Hamel ...

as Rektor Knauer *Else Bötticher as Frau Knauer *

Oskar Sima Oskar Sima (31 July 1896 – 24 June 1969) was an Austrian actor who is best remembered for appearing in supporting roles in countless comedy films from the 1930s to the 1960s. Born in Hohenau an der March, Lower Austria, Sima attended high sch ...

as Professor Crey * Franz Weber as Bömmel, Oberlehrer *

Karl Platen Karl Platen (6 March 1877 – 4 July 1952) was a German actor and cinematographer known for '' Girl in the Moon'' (1929) and '' M'' (1931). Biography Karl Platen was born as Carl Platen on March 6, 1877 in Halle an der Saale, Germany. He died ...

as Oertel, Pedell *

Rudolf Platte Rudolf Antonius Heinrich Platte (12 February 1904 – 18 December 1984) was a German actor. Biography Born in Hörde, Westphalia (today part of Dortmund) the son of a merchant, his family moved to Hildesheim three years later. Rudolf left scho ...

as Rettig, Tanzlehrer *Henriette Steinmann as Frau Windscheidt *Maria Seidler as Frau Bundschuh *Erwin van Roy as Bürglein, Regisseur *Walter Steinweg as Springer, Schauspieler *Anita Mey as Verehrerin *Evelyn Roberti as Soubrette

References

Bibliography

* Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1999. * Niven, Bill, ''Hitler and Film: The Führer's Hidden Passion''. Yale University Press, 2018.

External links

* 1934 films 1934 comedy films 1930s German-language films Films based on works by Heinrich Spoerl Films of Nazi Germany German black-and-white films Films set in schools 1930s German films Films directed by Robert A. Stemmle Films shot at Halensee Studios {{1930s-comedy-film-stub